Facing twin challenges from a resurgent Congress and a galvanised Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab is leaving no stone unturned to make launch of its election campaign on December 8 a grand success. The rally scheduled in Moga coinciding birth anniversary of Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal will also give a clarion call to protest against the river- water sharing agreement with neighboring Haryana.
Facing twin challenges from a resurgent Congress and a galvanised Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab is leaving no stone unturned to make launch of its election campaign on December 8 a grand success. The rally scheduled in Moga coinciding birth anniversary of Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal will also give a clarion call to protest against the river- water sharing agreement with neighboring Haryana.
Ironically the rally, ‘Pani Bachao, Punjab Bachao’ is calling for snapping water sharing agreements with Haryana, currently being ruled by the BJP, which ironically is also alliance partner of SAD in Punjab.
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal said the party has collected signatures of over 20 lakh people for the campaign, which will be submitted to President Pranab Mukherjee. The Supreme Court had on November 25 ordered status quo on land acquired for the water project.“The rally is being organized to sensitize the youth of the state about the gravity of the situation,” said Chief Minister, Prakash Singh Badal, while talking to media on the sidelines of a Sangat Darshan in Patiala, here on Wednesday.
The rally has angered the Opposition, which feels that rather making it an emotive issues in the state for the sake of garnering votes, the chief minister should take up issue with his political ally the prime minister Narenda Modi. “Rather than putting Punjab’s point of view in SYL issue in front of PM Narendra Modi, when he had visited Bathinda recently, the party is now raking up the issue to gain political mileage,” senior Congress leader, Sunil Jakhar told DNA.
The party has roped in volunteers from across the districts to make the rally a success by arranging a network of buses to bring people from all districts. Apprehending any protests, it has also locked horns with the group of radical Sikhs by not granting permission to organize the Sarbat Khalsa on the same day, in Talwandi Sabo, 100 kms away from Moga.
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